As a "west-ender," I often road the good old Belleville bus with Mary. Yes, she was shy. Once, we went to St Louis together on the bus. She was afraid that we would be lost and never find our way back. I can remember meeting her a few years later when I was back in Belleville on college break and she showed me a picture of her toddler son. She was so proud.

As I was thinking about Judy, I remembered that she was the one who told me President Kennedy had been shot. I was working in the Junior College Library when Judy came in. She asked if I had heard the news about Kennedy. I remember thinking, "That can't happen... presidents don't get assassinated in this modern time." A few minutes later Lenora Kriege, who taught history just across the hall, came into the library with a grim expression and confirmed that it was true. When I think of that day, I also think about Judy.